Rapid detection directly from patient serum samples of human cytomegalovirus UL97 mutations conferring ganciclovir resistance.

Ganciclovir-resistant cytomegalovirus can cause disease and death in transplant recipients. We describe here a rapid PCR- and sequencing-based assay for ganciclovir resistance that can be performed in 1 to 2 working days directly from patient specimens, without the need for amplification of the virus by cell culture. An evaluation of 120 sequential samples submitted for clinical testing revealed a variety of silent and amino acid mutations.